The New Order of Druids (NOD)
Web site: http://www.druidcircle.net/ Some believe that present-day Druids are people who live with their minds in the past, and that the Druidic wisdom had its place in time only, and thus cannot be applied any more today. But in our current society, it may well turn out that this very same ancient wisdom, will be our future. True wisdom is timeless, if only one knows how to apply it in which context. Today's technology allows knowledge to be within easy reach, and media such as the internet makes it accessible to all. In the ancient Celtic Era, it was easy to find a Druid who could train and teach you (or was it?), but we came to the conclusion that even with all the technology available today, existing options to grow a Druid are still very difficult to find. There are, of course, several modern-Druid organizations in Europe, North America and Australia, but not everyone has the ability to join one, for reasons such as distance or religious convictions of their family. It is often the curious teenager who wants to explore his or her own inner path, who is being held back by the parents-for many people in this world still think Druids to be worshippers of Satan who sacrifice humans and animals. Alternatives for such people would be books, or study packages that some Druid organizations offer with membership by mail (or online), but then there occurs the problem of money. Not everyone has the money to pay for memberships, courses and workshops, or tons of books. At the New Order of Druids, we asked ourselves the question: is it right that those who don't have the means, for whatever reasons, should be denied a chance to learn? Isn't true wisdom priceless? The concept of the New Order of Druids was founded by David Dom (Belgium) in 2002, and was opened in January 2003. The fundamental ideas on which we based this organization, is to offer a totally free-of-charge alternative for people through the means of internet, with three main goals: to learn, to grow, to exchange. The New Order of Druids (N.O.D. in short) is, in truth, a free online community Circle for people of all ages young and old, for both men and women, no matter where in the world you live. Members are, of course, free to join other Druid organizations as well, and both "newbies" as experienced people in Druidism are welcomed. The N.O.D. cannot be called either a Mesopagan nor Neopagan organization, for people of both paths are welcomed, and encouraged to follow their own path within. Rather than following an abstract path, or basing our Circle on the abstract past, we endeavor to honor the living Celtic cultures and capture their true spirit. Of course, people are free to follow their own religious convictions, be it Christian, Jewish, Muslim or even atheist, and this freedom will be respected among our members-for we strive to seek similarities, not differences. Our highest priorities within our grove, is to honor the free will of the individual, as well as that of the grove. To grow like a grove of trees, we grow as a grove of family, and when the N.O.D. began to grow in members, David Dom decided to form a Council of the New Order of Druids, existing of members from both Europe and America, not with the intention to RULE, but to guide the Circle where and if necessary, and to make sure that the original intentions of the N.O.D. would be upheld. And of course, to organize and manage the free teaching and training facilities for our members, which have grown so large by popular demand that what was first only an "online course", has now become an "online Druid college", called the Grove of Dana. To this day, the New Order of Druids has members both male and female of all ages, from Europe, America, Australia and even Turkey. If our Circle keeps growing at this rate, we hope that in the future it may be possible to organize personal meetings, besides the "virtual" ones on our community forums, for those members who would wish it. The New Order of Druids is always open to welcome new members, and more information can be found at http://www.druidcircle.net/. From: David Dom. Used with permission. |
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